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Chapter 180 Wang Lie's Predicament

Liu Jinxuan became the captain of his club at the age of nineteen, which is a remarkable achievement.

However, Liu Jinxuan was not proud of this achievement in front of his idol, Wang Lie.

Because while he could become the youngest captain in the club's history at nineteen, he could never become the youngest captain in the history of the Chinese national team.

This honor belongs to his idol, Wang Lie.

Wang Lie was officially appointed as the captain of the Chinese national team at the age of 24.

Now everyone thinks it's normal, but at the time it caused quite a bit of controversy.

The captain of the Chinese team at that time is now Cai Bokang, the assistant coach of the national team.

He is only 31 years old, still in the prime of his professional career. He is experienced, has high prestige, and is the well-deserved captain of the national team.

Even if Wang Lie, this young upstart, has become the absolute main force and offensive core of the national team, if he wants to go further and become the captain of the national team, he has to wait for Cai Bokang to retire from the national team, and also see if there is anyone with more seniority than him.

After all, the captain and the team's star player are not necessarily directly equivalent.

Not to mention that Wang Lie was in the midst of a storm of criticism at the time because he failed to score in the final of the Asian Cup held on home soil, which led to the Chinese team losing the championship.

But at this moment, Cai Bokang made an unexpected decision—to hand over the captain's armband to Wang Lie, making him his successor.

In an interview, Cai Bokang publicly supported Wang Lie, stating that Wang Lie is the future of the national team and a leader who will surely lead China to create history, so the captain's armband will be his sooner or later. If that's the case, why not give it to him sooner?

This can be considered a major departure from the mainstream opinion at the time.

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup in China will be Wang Lie's first Asian Cup appearance in his professional career—although he had already participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and scored a goal. However, he missed the 2019 Asian Cup due to a serious knee injury. It wasn't until four years later that he made his first appearance in the Asian Cup.

This first appearance was in front of his hometown fans. In addition, Wang Lie had already established himself after transferring to the La Liga giants Atlético Barcelona. Chinese fans naturally hoped that he could lead the national team to win the Asian Cup for the first time on home soil.

Before the final, Wang Lie's performance was impeccable. He started every match, scored a total of five goals, and provided two assists. He was the biggest contributor to China's run to the final.

Such a performance has naturally raised the expectations of Chinese fans.

However, amidst the thunderous cheers of tens of thousands of home fans, Wang Lie lost his pre-final form and missed a golden opportunity to score in the final.

The Chinese team ultimately lost to Iran, suffering a crushing defeat on home soil and losing the championship.

After the match, Wang Lie became the target of everyone's criticism. Some mocked him as a "big-game coward," some questioned his ability to lead the Chinese team to victory in Asia, and others criticized him for being too well protected by his senior teammates in the national team, sacrificing his other teammates just to allow him to pad his goal-scoring stats...

It wasn't that no one spoke up for Wang Lie. National team coach Yao Ye and his teammates all stood up and said that failing to win the championship was the team's problem and responsibility, and Wang Lie should not be blamed. Moreover, it's hard to say whether the Chinese team could have made it to the finals without Wang Lie's five goals and two assists.

However, their support was mostly expressed in words, while Cai Bokang expressed his support by handing over the captain's armband.

Since then, Wang Lie has been the captain of the Chinese team.

And four years later, in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, he captained the underdog Chinese team and led them to victory in the Asian Cup for the first time.

He still managed to score five goals and provide two assists in this Asian Cup, exactly the same as his statistics four years ago.

But this time, no one called him a "big competition weakling," no one doubted his ability to lead the Chinese team to dominate Asia, and no one ridiculed him as a "winner who lies down and wins."

It wasn't just that he helped the Chinese team win the Asian Cup, but also because the "golden generation" that had once created China's best World Cup result of reaching the quarterfinals had either retired or been injured, leaving the national team in a period of talent shortage and a low point in its transition. Four months before the Chinese team won the Asian Cup, former national team captain Cai Bokang had just announced his retirement due to injury at the age of 35, and he had already retired from the national team a year earlier.

This is why the Chinese team was not favored before the Asian Cup. At that time, apart from Wang Lie and Chu Yu, the Chinese team basically had no other notable players – Fu Xiaofeng was only selected for the national team after that Asian Cup.

It is no exaggeration to say that for a long time, Wang Lie was the only true god who dragged Chinese football forward from the mire.

※※※

Before the match, probably very few Chinese fans could have imagined that the game between China and North Korea would turn out like this.

The Pyongyang People's Stadium, which can hold 100,000 people, was transformed into a quagmire that made it difficult for the Chinese team to move forward, thanks to the passionate cheers of the North Korean fans and the tireless running and tackling of the North Korean players.

Just as Chi Zhen received the ball in the center circle, a North Korean player crashed into him from behind.

He turned to protect the ball, only to be tackled hard on the shoulder by another North Korean player.

He stumbled, realizing he could no longer control the ball and had to pass it out.

However, the ball was not passed to teammate Fu Xiaofeng.

Because he was simultaneously battling two North Korean players, he didn't control the power of his pass well, and it went too far.

Fu Xiaofeng stretched his legs as far as he could, but still couldn't catch the ball.

The football was intercepted by the North Korean player who was marking him closely.

Left with no other option, Fu Xiaofeng instinctively reached out and grabbed the North Korean player's arm, then shifted his weight onto him, ultimately managing to pull the player to the ground.

A piercing whistle and an even piercing hiss rang out at the same time.

The referee ran over and showed Fu Xiaofeng a yellow card. Fu Xiaofeng got up but didn't argue for himself. Instead, he shook his head and turned to walk back.

When he appeared face-to-face on the broadcast, everyone could see what he was saying, and from his lip movements, they could guess that he was probably swearing...

From a distance, Chi Zhen made an apologetic gesture to him, but he seemed not to see it and did not respond at all.

"Fu Xiaofeng is playing with his emotions on his mind, that's not good..." Zhao Chuanfeng said upon seeing this.

"He really had a tough time playing this match..." Luo Jin explained on behalf of Fu Xiaofeng.

Zhao Chuanfeng said, "It's not just him, Chi Zhen also suffered from the kicks."

Actually, it's not just those two; the vast majority of Chinese players are playing awkwardly right now.

Feng Qiyuan, Chu Yu, and Zhuang Yunsheng are all key players in their respective clubs and have performed exceptionally well. However, when the three of them are combined to play in the three-defender system in the national team, they all seem to be out of place.

Before the match started, Luo Jin and Zhao Chuanfeng both guessed what He Zhenyong was up to.

However, the match hadn't started yet, and they didn't know how the Chinese team would perform, so they couldn't comment on it.

Things are different now. The game has been going on for more than half an hour, and they have seen how the Chinese team is playing. It would be unreasonable to ignore this situation now.

They're not He Zhenyong's sycophants, so there's no need for them to speak up for him while commentating on the game.

The national team's performance is either good or bad.

Especially when a team with a clear advantage and the ability to win easily plays like this, how can the media fulfill its supervisory role if they don't criticize it?
"Perhaps Coach He felt that as long as they could defeat North Korea in this match, they could advance to the next round, so he used some completely new personnel combinations and tactical arrangements in this game..."

Zhao Chuanfeng put it more tactfully, while Luo Jin was more direct: "The problem is that we haven't qualified yet. I think doing this is a bit of underestimating our opponents and being overconfident. There are still three rounds left in the qualifiers. At the very least, we should win this match first, and after securing qualification, we can use the remaining two matches to practice our skills in a real battle."

Watching on TV, Liu Jinxuan's father said, "He Zhenyong is smart; he knows how to play like this when playing away from home."

His wife asked curiously, "Why? Isn't it harder to play away from home?"

The husband replied, "Playing away is tough, but at least we won't get booed by the home fans... Look at this scene, if this were our home ground, the whole stadium would be booing us right now."

The wife fell silent, acknowledging that her husband was right.

If the national team dared to play like this on their home field, the tens of thousands of Chinese fans in the stadium wouldn't tolerate it.

After a moment of silence, she said, "Then let's not have our kid play. He can just stay on the bench."

"This is his first time playing for the national team!"

"He's still young, he'll definitely have his chance in the future. In the current situation, if he goes up, I'm afraid he'll get criticized. It's better for him to stay on the bench; anyway, if the sky falls, the tall guys will hold it up, it won't hit him..."

"What about your colleagues..."

The wife waved her hand: "If we really don't beat North Korea, who cares about them!"

A mother can tell whether her own pride or her son's future is more important.

※※※

Chi Zhen received the ball on his most familiar left flank. As he controlled the ball, he flicked it towards the center and cut inside.

North Korea immediately sent two players to defend him: right-back Kim Ho-chol and right midfielder Kang Il-hyuk.

Chi Zhen looked up to observe the situation in the middle lane, wanting to seek cooperation with Wang Lie.

However, Wang Lie was closely marked by North Korean players, even when he moved out of the penalty area. The only difference was that inside the penalty area, he was being defended by the North Korean captain, center-back Ri Song-myung. Outside the penalty area, he was being defended by North Korean defensive midfielder Choi Yong-chol.

Fu Xiaofeng was further back and hadn't had time to come up yet.

Seeing that Chi Zhen hesitated, Kim Ho-chol, the North Korean right-back marking him, came up and interfered with him using both his hands and feet.

Chi Zhen decided to rely on his own abilities to turn the tide.

So he used his right foot to flick the ball towards the baseline, and at the same time, he stopped abruptly and turned around, slipping past Jin Haozhe who was marking him.

But as he caught up with the ball, Han Su-jun, another defensive midfielder from the North Korean team, appeared in front of him, blocking him from going in.

He was forced to slow down, which allowed Kim Ho-chol, the North Korean right-back he had dodged, to turn around and pounce back – the tireless running of the North Korean players did indeed cause a lot of trouble for the Chinese team.

Seeing this, Chi Zhen had no choice but to turn around and protect the football.

He saw Lu Changqing making a run down the wing and waving at him, so he decided to pass the ball to him.

However, after the ball was kicked, the third North Korean player, their right winger Kang Il-hyuk, made a flying tackle, clearing the ball out of bounds.

Chi Zhen looked up at the sky and sighed deeply.

These North Korean players are like chewed gum, you can't shake them off!
He made a passing error under close marking from a North Korean player, resulting in a yellow card for his teammate.

Now, attempts to use individual abilities to break through and create a breach have also failed.

One reason is that they are not yet familiar with the new tactics, and another reason is that the North Korean team's relentless pressing and surrounding tactics are like mad dogs.

But Chi Zhen didn't want to make excuses for himself, because if he really lost the game, no reason would work, and the result wouldn't change just because people believed his reasons.

When Lu Changqing threw the ball out of bounds, Chi Zhen moved closer to him and raised his hand to ask for the ball.

Lu Changqing passed the ball to him, and Chi Zhen headed it back.

After heading the ball back, he immediately turned and made a run into the penalty area behind him.

Lu Changqing understood immediately and used the inside of his foot to tip the ball back from Chi Zhen.

The football flew over Jiang Rihe's head as he rushed to intercept it, and landed in front of Chi Zhen.

He lifted his foot and flicked the still-on-the-ground soccer ball forward, the ball flying over Jin Haozhe's head, and then he himself flashed past the stunned Jin Haozhe!

By the time Jin Haozhe reacted, Chi Zhen was already behind him. He turned around and wanted to grab Chi Zhen's arm, but hesitated when he saw his own penalty area... If he pulled Chi Zhen to the ground, it could very well be a penalty kick!
Ignoring what Jin Haozhe was thinking behind him, Chi Zhen caught up with the soccer ball, lifted his foot and skillfully controlled it in mid-air. The ball stopped very steadily and landed right in front of his foot!

Luo Jin, who had just been criticizing the national team players' performance, excitedly shouted, "Look at this goal!"

Zhao Chuanfeng, standing nearby, also praised, "That was a beautiful stop!"

Chinese fans watching on TV were also thrilled. This time, the Chinese team finally managed to tear a hole in the North Korean penalty area thanks to Chi Zhen's individual skill!
Chi Zhen stopped the ball in front of him and looked up to observe the middle of the field.

He noticed that Wang Lie, who had been rushing towards the door with him, suddenly stopped abruptly.

Based on his experience, he knew that Wang was going to drop back to create space to receive the ball.

So I should pass the ball to Captain Wang...

Thinking of this, he swung his left foot and swept the football over!

His gaze followed the ball back, but Wang was nowhere to be seen; instead, he was completely blocked by a North Korean player…

The football struck the North Korean player's leg and bounced out of bounds!
"Oh no! Chi Zhen's passing intention was anticipated!" Luo Jin exclaimed regretfully. "The ball hit Li Chengming's leg! China's corner kick..."

Zhao Chuanfeng, standing nearby, said, "Actually, he could have considered shooting himself..."

As the commentator, he had a clear view of what had just happened from the back studio through the broadcast camera:
Upon seeing Chi Zhen break into the penalty area, Wang Lie immediately stopped and retreated, attempting to create space to receive the ball.

The problem is that the North Korean players around him also noticed Wang Lie's move—given Wang Lie's ability and reputation, how could the North Korean players not pay attention to him?
So when Wang Lieyi made a sudden stop and retreat, the experienced North Korean captain Li Chengming also immediately followed suit and made a sudden stop and retreat.

Chi Zhen's pass hit Li Chengming's leg perfectly...

"Damn it!!" Chi Zhen finally couldn't hold back anymore. All the frustration and dissatisfaction he had felt so far in the game turned into a curse at this moment.

Then he regretted it in his heart: Would it have been better if I had taken that shot?
But if I don't pass the ball, will it upset Captain Wang?
He looked at Captain Wang, only to see Captain Wang giving him a thumbs-up, indicating that he had made a good pass.

Actually, it's a kind of court etiquette. No matter how well or poorly a teammate passes the ball, people will give a thumbs up out of politeness.

Chi Zhen himself would do the same thing, so he wouldn't be unaware of the situation and genuinely believe that Captain Wang was praising him.

But when he and Wang Lie were both standing in front of the goal, preparing for the corner kick, Wang Lie squeezed over and covered his mouth, saying to him, "You should have shot that ball yourself, Chi Zhen."

Chi Zhen's eyes widened.

He wasn't surprised because Wang Lie would say that; after all, as the captain and senior of the national team, Captain Wang was qualified to point out any player's problems.

To Chi Zhen's surprise, Wang Lie didn't point out his problem to his face, but instead told him privately...

It seems like he's only considering his own feelings. That's outrageous! When has Captain Wang ever needed to consider other people's feelings?!
In the past, Captain Wang would criticize people in public without considering how the person being criticized felt—after all, he was right and his intention was for the good of the team, so shouldn't he point out his teammates' shortcomings?

What? Your teammates are unhappy? If you're unhappy, then don't make any mistakes! You can't even accept criticism after making a mistake? If you're this fragile, you shouldn't be on the national team!
That's why Wang has a nickname among the people: "Ball King".

Instead of yelling at him on the court immediately, Captain Wang first gave him a thumbs-up in praise, and then came over to cover his mouth and point out his problems...

Shocked, Chi Zhen stammered, "Uh, I was thinking... I saw you in the middle, so I wanted to pass to you... but my shot angle was too small."

"Actually, there's no need for that. I was just feinting in the middle to draw the defenders away. Your angle might be narrow, but with your ability, you shouldn't be unable to score from that angle, right?"

Well, even though she covered her mouth, her words were still quite blunt...

Chi Zhen finally regained a sense of familiarity.

Wang Lie continued, "Haven't you noticed? In the new tactics that Coach He and Coach Cai came up with, there isn't actually a single, absolute core. Before, whoever was the core, everyone else served that core. Now, whoever is in a better position, whoever has a better opportunity, is the core at that moment. For example, in that attack just now, you should have been the core, and I was serving you."

After speaking, Wang Lie returned to his position in the corner kick attacking tactic, leaving Chi Zhen deep in thought.

※※※

China's corner kick failed to result in a goal.

After Fu Xiaofeng took the corner kick, Feng Qiyuan got a header over the head of a North Korean player, but the North Korean player's defense and restriction also played a role - although he headed the ball within the goal frame, it was too straight and the ball was easily caught by North Korean goalkeeper Park Jong-nam.

After taking the football, Park Jung-nam quickly threw it towards the midfield.

The North Korean team will take advantage of the Chinese team's corner kick opportunities to launch counter-attacks.

This time they advanced all the way to the Chinese team's goal and created a shooting opportunity.

Fortunately, Chinese goalkeeper Yue Hang made a brilliant save, keeping the Chinese goal intact.

After North Korea's counterattack, the television broadcast switched back to the Chinese team's coaching bench on the sidelines.

He Zhenyong and Cai Bokang stood side by side, looking at the scene with solemn expressions.

"There are still about twelve or thirteen minutes left in the first half. I think the Chinese team needs to make adjustments during halftime and go back to our usual tactics..."

Luo Jin said.

"If we want to try new tactics, we need to make sure we can qualify first, right?"

Zhao Chuanfeng also agreed: "The North Korean team has a very tough style of play. If we are not familiar with the new tactics, it will be difficult to make a breakthrough. Playing like this will only give the North Korean team more confidence... Of course, the North Korean team's style of play is very physically demanding, but as long as they use all five substitutions, the impact on their stamina can be greatly reduced, since North Korean players are particularly good at running. I think choosing North Korea as the test subject for the new tactics is not a good choice..."

※※※

For relatively weaker teams, set pieces are their main scoring weapon, so the North Korean team will definitely do a lot of set-piece training against the Chinese team before the match.

Their corner kick attack did indeed threaten the Chinese team's goal.

Their center-back captain, Li Chengming, used his teammates' cover to rush to the near post and head the ball towards the goal. The ball hit the crossbar and bounced back into the penalty area!
Fortunately, the ball bounced back onto the field and landed near Chinese player Fu Xiaofeng, who immediately kicked it forward to clear the ball.

Although they didn't score, the North Korean fans in the stands were still incredibly excited.

They screamed and then cheered loudly, as if a goal was just around the corner.

Chinese fans watching on television were quite frightened...

Just then, a close-up shot of Wang Lie appeared on the television broadcast. He was clapping his hands vigorously and shouting something, presumably to boost morale.

In the live broadcast room of "Ground Fans Gathering," the host Chen Hai was still terrified by the near-miss in front of the goal. After seeing the close-up of Wang Lie, he cursed: "Damn! The Chinese team was beaten so badly by North Korea, it's a disgrace! Don't Wang Lie's fans always like to brag about 'individual heroism'? Well then, let your idol stand up and be a hero for once! Don't you just realize now that football is a team sport?"

Just now, when Chi Zhen didn't choose to shoot in front of the goal but passed the ball to Wang Lie, he made a sarcastic remark: "...Now the core of the national team is Brother Wang, is there anything wrong with Chi Zhen passing the ball to Brother Wang? Oh, before, if you didn't pass the ball to Brother Wang, you would criticize Chi Zhen for being selfish, but now that you've passed the ball to Brother Wang, you would criticize Chi Zhen for not daring to shoot... Brainless fans can say whatever they want, your brother is practically invincible, he's won so many times he's numb!"

At this moment, after Chen Hai had insulted Wang Lie, in the comments section of his live stream, it was unclear whether it was Chi Zhen's die-hard fans or Chen Hai's die-hard fans who were also mocking and sarcastic towards Wang Lie.

Wang Lie's success with Tyne this season will not truly sway these die-hards; on the contrary, it will only make them more fanatical.

There are no permanent winners in the world of football. Even if you've performed exceptionally well in the previous ten matches, it's not a "get-out-of-jail-free card." After all, if you perform poorly in this current match, all the good performances from the previous ten matches will be wiped out.

Let alone ten games, even if you maintain a high level of performance for ten seasons, it won't make a difference.

Those who are just watching the show don't care about your past glories; they only see your poor performance in the present.

That's not wrong, after all, your previous outstanding performance couldn't help the team win this game...

It's just that they can be a little... "cold-blooded" and overly pragmatic.

In the same close-up shot, in the "Zhouzhou Football" live stream, host Zhao Zhou was explaining to new fans who had only followed the show because of Wang Lie's incredible comeback in the first half of the season why it's said that "in times of difficulty, look to Wang Lie; in times of adversity, look to Wang Lie; and in times of despair, look to Wang Lie even more."
"...The game has only been going on for thirty-three minutes, and a bunch of people are already yelling... Anyone who didn't know better would think there were only three minutes left. Let me tell you, have faith in Wang Ge. Even if he only has three minutes left, let alone an hour, he can still create a miracle. No matter how difficult this game is, can it be more difficult than Wang Ge's situation at Sofia United this season? Back then, didn't the whole world think that Wang Ge would either retire or go back to play in China? And what happened? Wang Ge slapped all the doubters in the face! If you ask me, I've been watching Wang Ge play for over ten years, and that was truly the most spectacular 'comeback' of his career! So don't believe everything you hear, and don't say anything like 'Wang Ge is done for' until the final whistle! Trust Wang Ge, just go for it!"

※※※

To be fair, Wang Lie himself knew that his performance in the first thirty minutes of today's game was not good, at least it was completely different from his performance at the club.

There are several reasons for this, including tactical changes that require readjustment, differences in personnel between the national team and club, and the fact that he has finished his European season, is physically and mentally relaxed, and needs to rediscover his match fitness.

But none of these reasons are justifications for his poor performance.

He understands Coach He's insistence on using new tactics in this game—nothing helps the team improve more than a real, hard-fought match.

Even if a team loses, it can still gain valuable experience and lessons.

But in adversity, facing strong opponents, and through hard work, ultimately winning the game, wouldn't you gain even more experience?
So we still have to win, and we absolutely must win.

Of course, as for how to win...

You've come to the right person.

Wang Lie is best at winning.

※※※

Taking advantage of the throw-in opportunity that Fu Xiaofeng had cleared, the North Korean team launched another attack.

Perhaps it was China's lackluster performance in the first thirty minutes that gave the North Korean players confidence.

They dared to commit more troops when they attacked.

But this doesn't mean they let themselves go and forgot the tactics the head coach had arranged.

After this offensive ended, the North Korean players, who failed to score, quickly retreated to defend, giving the Chinese team no chance to launch a counterattack.

After gaining possession, the Chinese team could only pass the ball forward little by little, proceeding cautiously and slowly looking for opportunities.

During the back-and-forth passing, Wang Lie and Chi Zhen switched positions, with Wang Lie moving to the left flank.

Chi Zhen went to the middle lane.

After the switch, Wang Lie went to Fu Xiaofeng near the sideline to ask for the ball.

As soon as Fu Xiaofeng saw Wang Lie raise his hand, he immediately passed the football to him.

Kang Il-hyuk, the North Korean right winger who originally intended to move forward and double-team Fu Xiaofeng with his defensive midfielder, immediately turned around and chased after him.

The one who will receive the ball is the renowned Wang Lie; relying solely on his teammate Jin Haozhe is not enough.

As Wang Lie received the ball, Jin Haozhe remained in the paint, not trying to interfere with Wang Lie's pass—he was afraid that Wang Lie would get past him when he tried to steal the ball.

Before the game, head coach Choi Young-seok showed them highlights of Wang Yeol's performance against Tyne.

In the highlights, Wang Lie doesn't look like a 38-year-old guy at all. He is agile, has excellent explosive power, is fast, and is strong in combat.

That's why Jin Haozhe didn't dare to bully the old man; he believed that Wang Lie definitely had the ability to take the opportunity to destroy him.

Wang Lie was a little disappointed to see Jin Haozhe standing guard a step away from him. He had indeed hoped that Jin Haozhe would rush up to steal the ball, so he did not go up to receive it but waited for the ball in place, just to trick Jin Haozhe into making a run for it.

But to their surprise, the other party didn't fall for it.

Although he has caught the ball steadily, he is now facing a situation where he is surrounded by two North Korean players, Kim Ho-chol and Kang Il-hyuk.

At the same time, the sideline was right behind him, leaving him with very little room to maneuver.

He was like a chess piece stuck at the edge of the board, ready to be captured at any moment.

Facing the impending encirclement by the North Korean players, Wang Lie hooked the ball with the inside of his right foot while simultaneously turning and twisting his hips, making a gesture as if he were about to turn and forcefully break through to the byline.

But as Jin Haozhe stepped back, his right foot feinted off the ball, then turned back and used the outside of his foot to flick the ball towards the center!
The football darted between Kim Ho-cheol and Kang Il-hyuk, and the others quickly followed!
Jiang Rihe immediately reached out to stop him, while simultaneously blocking him with his body.

Jin Haozhe quickly lunged back.

Wang Lie was bumped hard by Jiang Rihe, and at the same time, Jiang Rihe grabbed his shoulder.

But he still managed to squeeze past Jiang Rihe and catch up with the ball.

Although Jiang Rihe failed to stop Wang Lie directly, he bought time for his teammate Jin Haozhe to counterattack.

When Wang Lie was marked again by Jin Haozhe, Chi Zhen, who was originally at the top of the free throw arc, immediately turned around and ran into the penalty area.

North Korean captain and center-back Ri Song Myong quickly caught up.

As Chi Zhen ran, he kept turning his head to observe Wang Lie's movements.

He discovered that Wang Lie was surrounded again by Jin Haozhe and Jiang Rihe.

Team leader Wang was sandwiched in the middle, and it was already quite an achievement for him to keep the ball from falling.

Should I give up trying to get in front of him and instead go closer to him to provide backup?
However, this would also draw the defenders who were marking him to Wang's position, making the area crowded and easier to intercept the ball...

He then looked at Fu Xiaofeng. If he were to go and meet Captain Wang, where should Brother Xiaofeng go?
Fu Xiaofeng is running backwards.

Then I should go and receive the ball from Wang, let him pass it to me, and then make a cut to get away from the two North Korean players who are marking me...

Thinking of this, Chi Zhen changed his running direction and moved towards the left side of the North Korean penalty area to act as a wall for Wang Lie.

Just as Captain Wang just told him, whoever has a better position and a better opportunity is the core player.

Chi Zhen was already marked by the opposing center-back. Even if he made a diagonal run to the near post to receive the ball, he wouldn't have a shooting angle. He might as well run to be a wall and set up Wang for the ball.

At this point, it was clear that Wang was the core player with the better opportunity.

Just as Chi Zhen was moving towards Wang Lie, two North Korean players, Kim Ho-chol and Kang Il-hyuk, were also surrounding and attacking Wang Lie.

Jin Haozhe stuck close to Wang Lie, reaching out to pull at his arm, trying to distract Wang Lie and force him into a tug-of-war, preventing him from calmly observing and passing the ball, thus creating an opportunity for Jiang Rihe to intercept the ball.

Wang Lie kept shaking off Jin Haozhe's arm, while Jiang Rihe, who was standing next to him, seized the opportunity to stick his foot out and poke the football.

Before he could even touch the ball, he felt as if he had been hit by a truck, and his vision even went black for a brief moment!
When Jiang Rihe attempted to intercept the ball, Wang Lie leaned to the right and collided heavily with the opponent, using the North Korean right winger's body as support to swing his left leg.

However, his left hand was still entangled with Jin Haozhe, making his leg swing very concealed.

Before he slicing the ball with the outside of his left foot, nobody was even paying attention to his feet!

It wasn't until the ball flew towards the far corner of the goal that commentator Luo Jin exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? This ball... a shot?!"

He never expected that Wang Lie would suddenly shoot while grappling with two opposing players...

That was a very sudden shot!

So sudden and too rushed...

Generally, for such a ball to create a shooting opportunity, attacking players will try their best to use their bodies to separate the defenders, otherwise the opponent might take advantage of the shooting opportunity to clear the ball. After protecting the ball with their bodies, the defenders are more likely to commit a foul if they try to clear the ball.

However, Wang Lie is now surrounded by defenders on both sides, and no matter how he adjusts the ball, it will be disrupted.

Moreover, shooting requires space. Under double-teaming, where would Wang Lie find the space to swing his leg?

So no matter how you look at it, this was a shot taken for the sake of taking a shot...

It was probably Wang Lie's irresponsible way of handling things, which was an outburst of emotion due to being overwhelmed by the situation.

Such a shot lacks power and speed, and its accuracy is questionable given the hasty execution; it poses no threat whatsoever to North Korean goalkeeper Pak Jong-nam…

While Park Jung-nam did not react immediately to Wang Lie's shot, he still had ample time to make the save given the low quality of the shot.

He took two steps back before jumping.

Actually, when he jumped, he felt that the ball shouldn't be able to threaten the goal he was guarding.

Because in his field of vision, the football was flying towards the corner flag!
Nevertheless, out of respect for Asia's top football star, Park Jung-nam extended his arm.

Then he was horrified to discover that the football was curving in mid-air!

The ball speed wasn't fast, but the arc was incredibly large!

It bypassed Park Jung-nam's hand and flew into the goal from the top corner of the far post!
In the 37th minute of the match, the deadlock was finally broken!

(End of this chapter)